This invention relates to a female terminal used for a wire harness or others.
FIGS. 5 and 6 show a female terminal 101 earlier proposed by the Applicant of the present Application (see, for example, JP-A-7-94225).
The female terminal 101 is formed from an electrically-conductive metal sheet through blanking, bending, etc. The female terminal 101 includes a wire connection portion 103 for connection to a wire, and an electrical contact portion 102 for connection to a mating male terminal. The wire connection portion 103 includes a bottom wall 131 for the placing of the wire thereon, a pair of first press-clamping piece portions 132 extending upwardly respectively from widthwise-opposite side edges of the bottom wall 131, and a pair of second press-clamping portions 133. The first press-clamping piece portions 132 are press-clamped (or crimped) to a conductor (core wire) of the wire to be electrically connected thereto. The second press-clamping piece portions 133 are press-clamped to a sheath of the wire, and therefore is mechanically connected to the wire.
The electrical contact portion 102 includes a tubular portion 120 formed into a square tubular shape and adapted to receive the male terminal therein, and a resilient piece 104 mounted within the tubular portion 120 so as to urge the male terminal toward an inner surface of the tubular portion 120. The tubular portion 120 includes a bottom wall 121 extending from the bottom wall 131, a pair of side walls 122 extending upwardly respectively from widthwise-opposite side edges of the bottom wall 121, and upper walls 123 extending respectively from the pair of side walls 122 and disposed in opposed relation to the bottom wall 121. Through windows 124 for mounting the resilient piece 104 are formed respectively through those end portions of the pair of side walls 122 disposed close to the bottom wall 121.
As shown in FIG. 7, the resilient piece 104 includes a curved portion 141 formed by a strip-like electrically-conductive metal sheet bent into a generally arch-shape, and a pair of mounting portions 140 formed respectively at widthwise-opposite side edges of the curved portion 141 at one longitudinal end thereof. Each of the pair of mounting portion 140 includes a strip-like connecting portion 142 extending from the one longitudinal end of the curved portion 141 to a longitudinally-central portion thereof, and a projecting portion 143 formed on a longitudinally-central portion of the connecting portion 142 and projecting therefrom in a direction away from the curved portion 141. The projecting portions 143 are inserted in the through windows 124, respectively.
This resilient piece 104 is mounted in the tubular portion 120 in a manner shown in FIGS. 8A to 8D. Namely, in the process of bending the side walls 122 during the formation of the tubular portion 120, the resilient piece 104 is located between the pair of side walls 122 as shown in FIG. 8A, and the resilient piece 104 is superposed on the bottom wall 121 as shown in FIG. 8B. At this time, the resilient piece 104 is superposed on the bottom wall 121 in such a manner that a convex surface of the curved portion 141 is directed toward the upper walls 123. Then, the projecting portions 143 are located respectively in the through windows 124, and the pair of side walls 122 are bent or moved toward each other as shown in FIGS. 8C and 8D. Thus, the female terminal 101 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is formed.
However, the above female terminal 101 has the following problem. This problem will be explained with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.
Namely, in order that the resilient piece 104 can be mounted within the tubular portion 120, each through window 124 need to be formed into a size corresponding to the dimensions of the projecting portion 143. For example, in case the dimension of the projecting portion 143 in the direction of the width of the bottom wall 121 (that is, the amount S1 of engagement of the projecting portion 143 in the through window 124) is increased as shown in FIG. 9, the dimension of the through window 124 in a direction from the bottom wall 121 toward the upper wall 123 need to be increased, and this invites a problem that a large gap U1 is formed between an edge of the through window 124 and the projecting portion 143 in the direction of the thickness of the resilient piece 104. In FIGS. 9 and 10, T1 and T2 indicate a clearance provided in view of tolerances of the resilient piece 104 and the tubular portion 120.
Also, in case the dimension of the projecting portion 143 in the direction of the width of the bottom wall 121 (that is, the amount S2 of engagement of the projecting portion 143 in the through window 124) is reduced as shown in FIG. 10, a gap U2 formed between the edge of the through window 124 and the projecting portion 143 is reduced. However, this invites a problem that the projecting portion 143 is liable to be disengaged from the through window 124.